Citizenship/Leisure & Tourism Department News
12th December 2007
Dear Parent,
Year 10 and 11 Courses at College
I am writing to inform you that College courses continue throughout next week including Friday 21st December. It is expected that all pupils will attend. Classes resume in January in the same week as school.
At this time of year there are a number of illnesses that sometimes lead to absence, if for any reason your son/daughter is absent from College please contact Leanne Hobbs on 01865 551693.
Yours sincerely,
Mrs S Moss
Assistant Head
GCSES AND BEYOND CONFERENCE
TUESDAY 15TH JANUARY 2008
Dear Parent,
I am organising a Conference for Year 11 pupils on Tuesday 15th January about Post 16 Choices. The aim of the morning is to invite into school:
training providers OXTRAIN, ISIS and PROTOCOL,
an employment agency consultant REED EMPLOYMENT,
OCVC
A Year in Industry representative
This will enable pupils to find out about the range of options open to them after the age of 16. I realise as parents that you may not normally have the opportunity to meet with specialists in the different fields to ask specific questions or find out what they have to offer and sometimes it is difficult to know where to find advice. Consequently this year I am giving you the opportunity to come into school and sit in the sessions of your choice with your son/daughter. The speakers will be covering a range of topics including:
application forms
expectations of employers
finding a job
training opportunities Apprenticeships, Diploma and work based learning
types of qualifications
experience of the workplace
Gap year training
College opportunities
Our guests will be putting up displays and will provide literature for further reading.
If you would like to attend could you please complete and return the reply slip attached to enable me to plan the seating for the different sessions. When you arrive at school please come to the main reception to sign in. The sessions begin at 9.10am and there is a rolling programme throughout the morning. Your son / daughter will be able to inform you in January of the times of the specific sessions you may be interested in attending.
Yours Sincerely,
Mrs S Moss
Assistant Head
WORK EXPERIENCE:
We are always looking for a range of more unusual work placements for pupils who perhaps want a practical experience or indeed an opportunity to find out more about a high powered professional career that they aspire to. Our placements can be from one week to an extended placement of 1 day per week. Pupils in Year 10 and Year 12 all have a week of work experience per year and many are linked to courses they are following e.g. Business, Textiles, Sport and Leisure, Construction, Tourism.
CAREERS TALKS 2007/2008:
Thank you to all parents who offered to talk to Year 9 pupils about their jobs over the year. We are now looking for more volunteers for our next academic year. This is a really wonderful opportunity to inspire pupils and encourage them to have real aspiration for their futures. Only 20 minutes of your time is needed between 8.50am and 9.10am, yet it could make a huge difference to some pupils. If you are interested please contact myself, Mrs Susan Moss at the school. We are also looking for employers who would be willing to work with teachers in designing a learning activity board at their workplace for a specific group of pupils. If you think you can help, again, please contact myself, Mrs Susan Moss at the school.
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS DAY YEAR 9:
Year 9 pupils had an interesting day visiting Didcot Power Station and Sutton Courtenay Field Centre. The purpose of the day was to find out about how energy is produced and the current issues which face us as non-renewable forms of fuel are disappearing and we are becoming more aware of energy efficiency. The power station seems much bigger when you stand beneath the cooling towers. These landmarks which can be seen from many parts of Oxfordshire may not be with us by 2012 when the use of coal to generate electricity at Didcot is set to end. What will be the future? A tour of the power station shows us how coal arrives by train, storage of coal etc. At Sutton Courtenay the environmental centre has been designed with lots of energy efficient ideas and renewable, recycled materials. South facing windows, natural ventilation, recycled plastic work surfaces, moss roof, use of rainwater, waterless urinals etc. Many ideas for those who are interested in becoming more `green`. We had a really enjoyable time and were pleased to have good weather!
YEAR 9 VISIT TO BANBURY MAGISTRATES COURT:
Year 9`s visited Banbury Magistrates Court in the week commencing 27th June 2007. This was to enable them to observe the proceedings of a day in court. The students were able to watch a live case on the day. This was a real eye opener to the the pupils, the room has bullet proof glass, screens, lawyers, solicitors and court ushers who dress in black gowns. There were two cases - one for non-payment of a railway ticket fine and the other for claiming housing benefit that they were not entitled to. It was fascinating to hear the lawyer putting the cases to the judges. The day gave the students an insight as to what can happen if you break the law and that dishonesty and crime do not pay - even if you try and dodge paying for a rail ticket! The students also were given a talk on each individual role within the court and were able to take part in a mock case which they thoroughly enjoyed.
The students were all very well behaved and were a credit to the school and a good positive experience gained.
LIVING RAIN FOREST VISIT YEAR 7:
Later in July, Year 7 pupils will be visiting a `tropical rainforest` at Chievely (amazing what you can find in the UK!) Insects, plants and small wildlife will be explained through workshops to illustrate how important the rainforests of the world are to medicine, food and climate.
1st May 2007 Banbury May Festival
A date for your diary - Year 13 Travel and Tourism pupils are helping to organise the 1st May Festival in Banbury. They have been hard at work trying to secure support from primary schools, food outlets and businesses in the centre of Banbury to make the event a success. In collaboration with Banbury Town Centre we hope the event will be a big success with:-
Maypole dancing
May parade
Floral garlands
Singing
Street Theatre
Window display competition
Hopefully discounts from local `eateries` for the day
Please support us.
Cultural Awareness
Year 9 pupils recently had a week in which different curriculum areas focused upon different cultures and the impact they have on our lives. This included drama, historical references, how others live their lives, mathematical puzzles and currency exchanges to name a few.
In the Summer Term we are planning a day where we will invite artists in to school for Year 8 pupils to explore the creative impact of cultures on our own,, so far it is likely to include African frame sculptures, drumming, literature, shadow puppetry and music.
Why did the chicken cross the road
Year 7 pupils had an informative and enjoyable afternoon in February when `Stopwatch Theatre` Company presented a show about road safety. This funny and challenging performance encourages pupils to participate by questioning the decisions and consequences made by the characters in the play.
What is racism?
Over the next few months pupils will be challenged to consider this question and the implications on others. Banbury Community Racism Officer, Mr Azad will be presenting assemblies to year groups to illustrate situations that they may be familiar with and how it can have a damaging effect on others. Using the film `blue eyes, brown eyes`, pupils will be encouraged to be sensitive to others.
Lakeside Superbowl
Year 11 pupils visited the Superbowl as part of their GCSE Leisure and Tourism Course. We had an informative talk by the centre manager and were able to experience their `Customer Service` first hand through bowling and enjoying a meal. The purpose of the visit was to assess customer service, find out about communication and how they deal with complaints. We had an enjoyable afternoon and were able to complete some of our coursework.
Bank of England/London Metal Exchange visit
Year 11 pupils visited London to support their GCSE Citizenship Studies Course. They were able to find out how the economy is run and were able to hold over £135,000 of gold at the Bank of England! After lunch a visit to the viewing gallery of the London Metal Exchange gave many pupils the idea that it may be a good place to work! Non ferrous metals and some plastics are traded at this world trading centre. With a starting salary of £20,000 rising to our £1million it certainly seems an attractive proposition! Our coach trip also enabled us to view some of the London sights St Pauls, Fleet Street, High Court of Justice, The Gherkin and Norman Fosters `swaying bridge`.
Lakeside Superbowl
Year 11 pupils visited the Superbowl as part of their GCSE Leisure and Tourism Course. We had an informative talk by the centre manager and were able to experience their `Customer Service` first hand through bowling and enjoying a meal. The purpose of the visit was to assess customer service, find out about communication and how they deal with complaints. We had an enjoyable afternoon and were able to complete some of our coursework.
Bank of England/London Metal Exchange visit
Year 11 pupils visited London to support their GCSE Citizenship Studies Course. They were able to find out how the economy is run and were able to hold over £135,000 of gold at the Bank of England! After lunch a visit to the viewing gallery of the London Metal Exchange gave many pupils the idea that it may be a good place to work! Non ferrous metals and some plastics are traded at this world trading centre. With a starting salary of £20,000 rising to our £1million it certainly seems an attractive proposition! Our coach trip also enabled us to view some of the London sights St Pauls, Fleet Street, High Court of Justice, The Gherkin and Norman Fosters `swaying bridge`.